Prospect Torres living up to hype this spring

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Yankees were eager to see Gleyber Torres between the white lines on a daily basis this spring, and thus far, the 20-year-old super-prospect has lived up to manager Joe Girardi's expectations.

"I'm impressed by his at-bats," Girardi said. "I think he has a real good understanding of what the situation calls for and what he needs to do. He adjusts with a couple of strikes. I think he runs the bases extremely well.

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Yankees were eager to see Gleyber Torres between the white lines on a daily basis this spring, and thus far, the 20-year-old super-prospect has lived up to manager Joe Girardi's expectations.

"I'm impressed by his at-bats," Girardi said. "I think he has a real good understanding of what the situation calls for and what he needs to do. He adjusts with a couple of strikes. I think he runs the bases extremely well.

"He's not a flier like a [Jorge] Mateo, but he takes extra bases because he's heads-up. I've been really impressed with his maturity."

Ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, Torres is batting .556 (5-for-9) with two doubles and two RBIs in six spring games.

"I think the best thing that I can accomplish in my first Spring Training is experience, and being able to mature, learn from the teammates that I have because this is a very unique opportunity," Torres said.

Torres is expected to open the season with Double-A Trenton and has spent most of his time playing shortstop in camp, though Girardi said that he plans to also give Torres reps at second base this week. The Yankees are not currently considering Torres at third base.

Girardi said that Torres appears to be a "complete player."

"You'll see him swing and miss early in the count, but he'll find a way to put it in play with two strikes if he needs to get a guy over, get a run in," Girardi said. "He finds a way."

Worth noting

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge stroked two hits in Friday's 3-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Blue Jays, including a nice piece of situational hitting against Francisco Liriano in the first inning where he shortened his swing and punched a single to center field.

"I think he's in his legs more this year than he was last year," Girardi said. "He made a minor adjustment, and I think it's paying off."